As the legal economy overall continues to sputter and lawyers in many practice areas are aggressively looking for work, there’s no need for a number of attorneys and law firms in Houston, Texas, to step on the gas.

Thanks to their energy law expertise and clients in a region known for its many natural resource-based businesses, they are thriving, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports.

A recent announcement of a planned mega-merger between British behemoth Norton Rose and Fulbright & Jaworski was driven in part by the Houston firm’s strong energy practice. And individual lawyers with energy expertise and clients are also in demand.

In August, Scott Schwind was still unpacking his files after making a lateral move from Thompson & Knight to Jones Day, according to the newspaper and a law firm press release.

Then the phone rang. It was a recruiter trying to interest him in taking a job with yet another law firm that was looking to open an office in Houston.

“I don’t know how they knew I was here,” the 41-year-old partner told the WSJ, saying of the job pitch: “I’d love to be flattered by it, but frankly it’s a reflection of what’s going on in this market.”